|
Prime Minister's Office
|
English rendering of PM’s speech at the One District, One Product Regional Summit in Varanasi
Ladies and gentlemen present here today!
My greetings to all the great artisan brothers of Purvanchal. Many congratulations to the brothers and sisters whose handicrafts are popular within India and abroad. Since the ancient times, Kashi had been established in the international market. Kashi is leading in terms of silk sarees and hand made toys.
Pachauriji was saying - 'our Prime Minister has come here as a guest'. But I beg to differ. I am no longer a guest. With the love that you have showered over me, I am one of your very own. I was told that industrialists associated with silk fabric, cotton clothes and carpets have come here today from 11 districts. Just a short while ago, I visited the stalls here. There are best of the best products. Some of the artisan brothers and sisters are receiving assistance for loans and some of them are getting tool kits. Many congratulations and my best wishes to all of you!
Friends,
Just a short while ago, several crores worth of projects related to Varanasi and the country were launched or their foundation stones laid. It not only includes infrastructure related projects of Varanasi but also the schemes that will facilitate the pension holders of the telecom department of the country. I congratulate all the beneficiaries including Varanasi for these projects.
Brothers and sisters,
The common motive behind all the projects that have been launched or their foundation stones laid - making lives easier, making trade and business easier i.e. ease of living and ease of doing business. The connection between these two aspects is as much significant as the relationship between these projects and development. The state government is committed to strengthen the Make in India campaign.
The Uttar Pradesh Government's "One District, One Product" scheme is an extension of "Make in India." This scheme is capable of getting UP on the industrial map of the world. For this, I heartily congratulate Yogiji and his whole team. UP is the hub of micro and small industries. MSME sector provides the highest employment after agriculture. Here, the MSME sector is a part of the tradition.
There is something unique and special about every district that has associated the people here with related employment - Moradabad's brass art, carpets of Bhadohi, Benares silk products and sarees, Petha of Agra, sports goods of Meerut, Lucknow's Chikankari, Terracotta of Gorakhpur, Amla of Pratapgarh and Tharu art of Shravasti. The One District One Product scheme will prove to be beneficial for the expansion of this art.
Friends,
This entire Purvanchal, along with Varanasi is the hub of handicrafts, be it the art work on clothes and carpets or on mud and metallic utensils. Art is ingrained in every part of it. The 10 products from regions adjacent to Varanasi have also been given the GI tag i.e., Geographical Indication tag.
There are about 60,000 handlooms, about 70,000 power-looms, about 1.5 lakh weavers are enriching this art. Through the One District One Product scheme, the government is engaged with the work of converting this art into a profitable business.
This scheme is to ensure that the entrepreneurs, the artisans and the artists do not lack funds; they get good quality machines and tools; they get proper training; their products are marketed properly and they get the right price.
The central and the state governments are doing everything possible to keep this art and tradition going. On a regular basis, I am monitoring 100 such districts of the country where small industries and MSMEs are part of our tradition.
Brothers and sisters,
Like it was told, loans of about Rs.2000 crores will be distributed during this event. Now handing over Rs.2000 crores to the businessmen will itself accelerate the process of economic development.
Apart from all the industrialists, several dignitaries from the banks are also present here. Everything is being completed at once. I am glad that the goal with which the Deen Dayal Hastakala Sankul was created, is being fulfilled right before our eyes today.
The idea behind it was to create a medium of trade, business and communication.
Friends,
The motive behind 'One District One Product' scheme is to provide complete solutions from manufacturing stage of the product to its marketing. I will give you examples of Weavers and artisans from Benares only.
The government is helping them to get loans from banks on simple terms and conditions. Assistance is being provided for obtaining raw materials. Pehchan - the certificate of identification called Pehchan that is being provided to the weavers has been very helpful in removing the middlemen. What happened? You didn't like the topic of middlemen. Right? You must have been through a lot of pain. We have to save the country from the middlemen despite all the difficulties.
Besides, 9 Common Facility Centres - Common Service Centres have been set up here in Benares. Besides, the weavers have been given modern looms in Bhadoi and Mirzapur in Mega Carpet Clusters.
Moreover, the potters have also been given modern pottery wheels and new machines. One of the artisans was making utensils by keeping his modern wheel on a small table.
He told me that he received Rs.10 lakhs under the Mudra Yojana. Earlier his business was about to slowly shut down but now families are returning to this business once again at a large scale. Just see how changes occur. I could see the shimmer on his face. He was feeling that his life had changed. When I see the glow on his face, my face lights up as well.
We can see the significance of the invaluable gift at the place where the programme has been organized among all other efforts.
Friends,
We are constantly expanding our efforts to provide employment to the youngsters from the ordinary families. Just a while ago, assistance has been provided to the beneficiaries who wanted to associate with the transportation of LPG gas. The government is aiding these traders in purchasing trucks and the oil companies are utilizing their services.
Brothers and sisters,
When the life of the common man is easy, then engaging in trade and business becomes easier. When Infrastructure is of good quality and the government procedures are not complicated, then life and doing business become easier. We have been working with the same resolution for the past four years.
I congratulate Manoj Sinha ji and his entire department. They have removed a major obstacle related to the official processes in the Telecom department today. Earlier the pensioners, having served for their entire lives, had to make frequent visits to the government department to get their pensions. Now efforts have been made to remove those difficulties and make the process easier. Today SAMPANN i.e. System for Authority and Management of Pension scheme has been launched.
Friends,
Now the work ranging from approval of Pension to its settlement will be done by the department. This not only will save crores of rupees of the government but also will benefit the pension holders. With this, the payment of pension of about Rs.11 thousand crores will be possible on time. The pension holder will be able to track the status of his pension sitting at home with his mobile phone. The difficulties that arose before due to association of pension with multiple agencies will be reduced to a large extent. Resolving any complaint will take less time. This will benefit lakhs of employees in the postal department across the country.
Well, it is an occasion of double celebrations for the people of Varanasi and Purvanchal because the sub office of Control Communication Account i.e. CCA has now been opened in Varanasi. Now you are not required to go to Lucknow for depositing pension related documents and seeking redressal of complaints.
Friends,
The scheme that has been launched today by the Telecom department for the pension holders is a fundamental part of government's citizen centric approach which is 'minimum government-maximum governance'. The government is constantly pushing the efforts to ensure that the government department's procedures are simpler and are accessible to the common man.
This is part of the effort to make life of every person in the country easier through digital India. Today, from birth certificates to life certificates, hundreds of government services are expanding at a very fast pace.
EPF - its online, transfer and the withdrawal facilities have already been provided. Now systems like that of pension are also being made simpler.
The work of handing over digital Life certificates to the 'Divyangs' and senior citizens is already going on. Nearly 2.5 crore pensioners have benefited from the life certificate scheme.
Brothers and sisters,
Government is engaged in providing banking services to every village and every household through India post payment bank. The postman will help you with bank-related transactions at your house. The government has taken several steps in this direction and the work is underway.
So far about 25 thousand post offices have started these facilities across the country. In the rest, the banking service will start very soon.
Friends,
Today most of the facilities ranging from banking to land related information and the provision of selling one's crops and produce is now online. These facilities are also reaching the villages through a network of more than three lakh Common Service Centers spread across the country. This network has been formed in the last four and a half years.
You must have read in the newspapers that in the last two to two-and-a-half years, internet connectivity has increased by 65% in India and more than 50 crore internet connections are working in the country today. This has increased in the cities and the network of internet connectivity is rising in the villages as well. About 1.25 lakh panchayats in the country have been connected to broadband out of which, the maximum i.e. nearly 29,000 have reached Uttar Pradesh.
In the future, when the speedy Internet will reach every corner of the country, then Digital India will give New India new power and a new identity.
Friends,
The Digital India Mission is not only aiding the citizens of the country but is also helping in reducing corruption and increasing transparency in the government transactions. Earlier there were many doubts and complaints regarding the purchases made by the government departments. Now the Central Government has created a new transparent system for the purchases made by its departments. The Central Government has created a portal named 'Government e-market place', and I would like most of you to take advantage of it. Small businessmen of Uttar Pradesh can also take advantage of it.
Through this portal, even the smallest of the businessmen can sell his products to the central government or the state governments directly. This to a large extent has benefitted the ordinary housewives as well as the industrialists associated with the MSMEs.
Friends,
This has proved to be the best platform for the MSMEs. Recently, out of the 12 Diwali gifts that were announced for the MSME sector, GEM has a major role to play. It has been made mandatory for all the companies of the central government to link with GEM so that the money of the small entrepreneurs is not stuck with the major companies to ensure a continuous cash flow.
Moreover, in order to ensure that the MSMEs do not face any issue while taking loans using digital services, loans are now being approved online. And you will be pleased as many of you have already taken the benefits of the scheme. Loans of up to Rs.1 crore are being approved online just within 59 minutes. This scheme is in operation successfully. Earlier, one had to face a lot of hurdles for taking a loan of Rs.1 crore. Today this is possible within just 59 minutes.
Friends,
The government is committed to empower the MSMEs in the country. The government is trying to ensure that the MSMEs, under the GST, can easily raise loans from the banks and are able to receive loans online so that the bank contacts these MSMEs for giving loans on the basis of their GST and return documents or by verifying their records online.
These myriad efforts are ensuring ease of doing business in the country that will facilitate trade and business and will open up employment opportunities for the youth.
Friends,
The work of creating modern facilities and better environment for the enterprises in the entire Eastern India including Kashi and Purvanchal is progressing at an unprecedented rate. Under the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Yojana, a network of gas pipelines is being laid. This will provide gas for both the kitchens of the Houses as well as the fertilizer factories. Even in Varanasi, several households have been linked to this scheme for cheap gas. The pipeline is being laid between Jagdishpur and Haldia through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal at a cost of approximately Rs.13 thousand crores. Its first phase will be completed very soon.
The women will get clean and affordable gas; CNG vehicles will reduce pollution levels and the youth will get new employment opportunities with the expansion of industries.
Friends,
Before coming here, I had visited the campus of International Rice Research Institute. This center is the result of our policy of making agriculture profitable with the help of science and technology. Here, there will not only be research on the exquisite varieties of seeds and other techniques but solutions will also be found for Asia and other countries of the world.
Friends,
Now changes are discernible in Kashi. The divine Kashi is now taking a more magnificent form. Even today, various development projects were launched and their foundation stones laid in Varanasi. Many of these projects are for broadening of the roads or are associated with the beautification of the places associated with history and religious importance.
All these projects will enhance the beauty of Kashi and will make the lives of the people and visitors of Kashi easier. Much of the work that made just a little progress before independence, is also being completed.
Brothers and sisters,
The government is trying to give a facelift to the ancient city of Kashi and present it in front of the world without messing with the essence or the soul of the city.
The infinite grace of Baba Vishwanath has always been upon us all. Since we have got the opportunity, it is our duty to carry forward the work that was done by the mother Ahilyabai Holkar some 200 years ago. After several decades of indifference, I express my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Kashi for supporting the work of preservation and beautification of the Benares Ghats and the temples here.
Being an MP of this place, I am extremely grateful to the people of Kashi for their support. It is our duty to link the divinity of Baba's ancient city to its magnificence so that every devotee from across the country and around the world can come here and pay obeisance to Baba Viswanath without any hassle.
Many such amenities are being developed with the help of the people of Kashi and we need to expedite this work.
Friends,
Similarly, we are committed to keep mother Ganga pure and maintain her incessant flow. I am glad that the results of our efforts have gradually started showing. All of you have seen the media reports that mention about the number of living creatures including fishes and crocodiles that have started returning to the life-supporting Ganga again. Recently, a team of several scientists of the country has come up with a report after examining the Ganga water. According to this report, the level of pollution in Mother Ganga has come down. As Namami Gange's campaign is progressing, the aim of the Nirmal  and Aviral Ganga is closely visible. Everything is being possible because of the people of Kashi and the will power and cooperation of the people residing on the banks of river Ganga.
Friends,
Positive results are discernible when the government works with complete transparency, competency and public participation. Otherwise, you are well aware of the fact that earlier several steps were taken like the formation of a Ganga Action Plan and Ganga Basin Authority. Thousands of crores were spent on Mother Ganga.
However, money power is not enough for cleaning Mother Ganga. There must be a clean intension as well. With a clean intension, Ganga too is bound to be cleaned up. We are engaged with our mission of cleaning up Gangaji with sincerity and a clear intension.
Brothers and sisters of Kashi,
Only 2-3 weeks remain for Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas. I have personally invited the Indian diaspora around the world to visit Kashi. I keep telling people on behalf of you all. It is our responsibility and the responsibility of the people of Kashi to present a modern form of the ancient city of Kashi before the world and to paint an influential image in front of the world. Kashi must not let go of the opportunity to influence as well as inspire them.
We are certainly going to make a grand and a successful arrangement. And as an MP, as your representative, I must honor and welcome the guests from around the world in such a way that once again Kashi's image enhances before the world.
Finally, I once again congratulate all the artisan friends and the beneficiaries. The year 2018 will end in two days and the year 2019 is at the doorstep. My best wishes to you all for the New Year. My best wishes to the people of Kashi and U.P. With the blessings of Baba Vishwanath, we should continue with all the work with all our efforts and hard work for building a new country, for re-building a New Kashi and our new Uttar Pradesh. With this expectation, I end my speech.
Thanks a lot everyone!
Har Har Mahadev!!
Thank you!